Adjustable foot-restraining exercising device for attachment to the footboard of a bed



y 26, 1964 R. v. SHARKEY ADJUSTABLE FOOT-RESTRAINING EXERCISING DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE FOOTBOARD OF A BED Filed May 51 1962 INVENTOR. ROBERT KSHARKEY l /j ATTORNEY United States Patent ADJUSTABLE FOOT-RESTRAINING EXERCISHJG DEVICE FGR ATTACHMENT TO THE FOOT- BOARD OF A BED Robert V. Sharkey, 1016 Lancaster Ave, Brooklyn 23, N.Y. Filed May 31, 1962, Ser. No. 199,003 1 Claim. (Cl. 272-58) This invention rel-ates to an adjustable foot-restraining exercising device adapted to embrace the footboard of a bed to facilitate sitting-up exercises thereon.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide .a simple attachment which will convert many sizes of conventional footboard type beds into an effective exercising device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an exercising device which will take advantage of the existing geometry of a bed to convert it into an exercising gymnasium device.

it is still another object of the invention to provide a design of exercising foot bar which may easily be adjusted to suit the particular dimensions of the bedstead to which it is applied.

'For other objects and a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, the device showing the relation of the preferred embodiment of the invention to the bedstead and the user,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view having the footboard of the bed broken away to reveal the geometry of the device,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view showing the available foot bar positions afforded by the subject device,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the means of attachment between the foot bar and its frame, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the bracing action of a locking bar provided by the subject disclosure.

Referring now to the drawing, 6 represents a rigid foot bar which forms a reacting fulcrum for calisthenic exercises performed by a user 9 lying on a bed 7 having a footboard 8.

The main chassis of the device is formed by two inverted U-shaped upstanding frame members 11 as viewed in FIG. 1 which are rigidly interconnected by a reinforcing bar 12 which holds frame members 11 in spaced parallel relation with one another providing aligned recesses opening downwardly.

The foot bar 6 is attached to the frame members 11 by means of side adjustment arms 16 which are each pivotally secured to a frame member 11 by means of a pivot bolt 17 and a wing nut 18.

A separable U-shaped locking bar 19 is provided to have its legs engage corresponding hole 14 in arm 16 parallel to bolts 17 and a hole 15 in a frame member 3,134,592 Fatented May 26, 1964 11 whereby to lock adjustment arms 16 to the frame members 11 in either of the two vertical positions as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The adjustment arms .16 are each provided with a series of adjusting holes 21 through which the foot bar 6 may be selectively passed at any of several radial distances from the pivot bolts 17. Screws 22 are threaded into the ends of the foot bar 6 to retain it between adjustment arms 16.

The operation of the device is as follows: The frame comprising the frame bar members 11 with recesses and reinforcing bar 12 is lowered over the footboard of the subject bed 7. Depending on the relative height of pivot bolts 17 with respect to bed 7, the arms 16 may be adjusted and locked into either their upward or downward positions by means of wing nuts .18 and U-shaped locking bars 19 respectively. The foot bar 6 providing the fulcrum for the user 9 is then positioned into the pair of holes 21 which provide enough clearance between bed 7 and the foot bar 6 for comfortable clearance of the foot of user 9.

After securing the foot bar 6 into adjusting holes 21 by the tightening of screws 22, the device is ready for use upon a bed as an exercising fulcrum for sitting-up exercises.

While various changes may be made in the specific structure disclosed, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claim.

What is claimed is:

An exercising device for use with a bed with a footboard comprising a frame composed of a pair of upstanding elongated inverted U-shaped frame members in parallel relation providing downwardly opened recesses adapted to receive said footboard, each member defining a side of the frame, a rigid upstanding adjustment arm coaxially pivoted on each side of said frame, said arms adapted to rest upon the mattress of the bed, means for clamping said adjustment arms in fixed parallel angular relation to said frame, a horizontally disposed bar, means for securing said bar between said adjustment arms selectively at a plurality of positions of different radii parallel to the pivot axis of the adjustment arms upon the frame, said bar being adapted to be closely spaced above the mat-tress for engagement by the feet of the user of the bed, said clamping means comprising a bolt and wing nut at each side of the frame for clamping the respective adjustment arms thereto, and a U-shaped locking bar, one of said frame members and one of said adjustment arms having holes adapted to receive the legs of said locking bar, said arms and foot bar disposed inwardly of the footboard.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,425,971 Walker Aug. 19, 1947 2,601,686 Roessler July 1, 1952 2,909,175 Kinnear Oct. 20, 1959 

